Family works with NE Ga. History to preserve the past

GAINESVILLE - At the Northeast Georgia History Center's Annual Meeting recently, there was more than just elections and financial reports going on. Among the guests was a family who's roots in the region go back well into the 18th century.<br /> <br /> White Path, a Cherokee leader in what is now Gilmer County, led his people in war and peace, advocating for the cause of his people until the Trail of Tears. His was one of thousands of deaths resulting from forced removal of the Cherokees from the region, and he was buried in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. <br /> <br /> Almost 200 years later, his descendants were on hand at the History Center to be honored for their support of keeping his memory, his story, and his ancestral home alive.<br /> <br /> Don Cooley, White Path's great-great-great grandson, found out about his past and the existence of Chief White Path's Cabin during genealogical research around 1980. Finding the home in disrepair, he became determined to save the structure not just to preserve his own past, but the past of the entire region.<br /> <br /> "My father spent a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and money making sure that this cabin could find a safe home and be preserved for future generations" said Counte Cooley, Don's son and a native Gainesvillian. "When Dad got the fever to save the cabin, he brought it to the rest of us, and it became his absolute passion." <br /> <br /> Jan Cooley, Don's nephew, also remembers what he considered a calling: "I just want to make sure that Don's dedication to saving such an important part of our history is remembered."<br /> <br /> The Cooley Family, led by Counte and Jan, have made substantial contributions to the History Center to aid its efforts to not only preserve the home of White Path, which now sits on the History Center's grounds, but turn it into the premier venue for interpreting early northeast Georgia history.<br /> <br /> The cabin, and the History Center, are open Tuesday-Saturday from 10:00-4:00.